Centripetal separation system for cleaning particulate-pervaded air or gas

ABSTRACT

Some embodiments provide a centripetal air or gas cleaning apparatus for removing particulates from air or gas. The apparatus comprises an inlet, housing, impeller, a clean air outlet, and a particulate outlet. The housing has an inner conical surface. The impeller&#39;s rotation creates negative pressure towards the inlet that intakes particulate-pervaded air or gas into the housing. The rotation also induces an accelerating force that throws the particulate-pervaded air or gas against the outer walls of the housing. Here, the particulates separate from the air or gas, penetrate a high-pressure zone, and are ejected through the particulate outlet located in the high-pressure zone. The air or gas, having less inertia, deflects away from the high-pressure zone where it is then subjected to a centripetal force that drives the air or gas towards the center of the housing behind the impeller where it is ejected through the clean air outlet.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a filtration apparatus that ejectsparticulates from air or gas.

BACKGROUND ART

In many industrial and commercial applications, motorized machinery issubjected to environmental hazards and harsh operating conditions thatexpedite or otherwise induce mechanical failure or sub-optimal operationof the machinery. Air or gas that is pervaded with particulates is onesuch hazard. The particulates can include coal dust, saw dust, metaldust, dirt, sand, and liquid contaminants as some examples. When the airand the accompanying particulates enter into the motor housings or othermechanical parts of the machinery, the particulates can disrupt orinterfere with the normal operation of the machinery, and thus cause thefailure or sub-optimal operation. The particulates can also be harmfulto humans breathing in the particulate-pervaded air.

Air or gas cleaning systems have existed for many years. Some operatewith permeable barriers that entrap the unwanted particulates whilepermitting the cleansed air or gas to pass through. They inherentlycreate an initial pressure drop, creating a restriction to the airflow,which worsens over time as the media entraps the unwanted particles,further reducing performance, and causing wear and tear on machinecomponents. Moreover, these air or gas cleaning systems are expensive tooperate and to maintain as the barrier entrapping the particulates mustbe continually cleaned or replaced. Other systems operate bymanipulating airflow in various ways to induce the separation of theparticulates from the air. The vast majority of these separation systemshave an intrinsic downfall in that the particulates must be collected,emptied, and disposed of. Thus, there remains a need for newerfiltration systems that more effectively supply clean air or gas from asource of particulate-pervaded air or gas while doing so more reliably,economically, and effectively for prolonged periods in industrial andother applications without the necessity that the particulate becollected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Some embodiments provide a centripetal air or gas cleaning system andapparatus. The apparatus intakes particulate-pervaded air or gas andinduces centripetal forces to cause the particulates to separate and beexpelled from a different outlet than that of the cleansed air or gas.The apparatus comprises an inlet, housing, impeller, and at least oneclean air outlet and one particulate outlet.

The inlet provides an opening through which the apparatus intakesparticulate-pervaded air or gas. In some embodiments, the inlet extendscentrally from a proximal end of the housing. The inlet may be anopening at the proximal end of the housing. Alternatively, the proximalend of the housing may include a ring that curves into the inlet inorder to join the two. The housing extends conically away from the inletto the housing's distal end. The angle of the extension varies dependingon the desired application.

The housing provides a radially collapsing volume that increasespressure for air or gas circulating therein. In some embodiments, achannel or set of channels run along the housing to make a discretebarrier to isolate particulates that have been successfully expelledfrom the path of clean air. The radially collapsing volume within thehousing is produced in part by an inner conical surface. The conicalsurface is comprised of a curved plane that approaches and intersectsthe housing's distal end from within. Specifically, the conical surfacehas a first edge that forms within the distal end of the housing,wherein the diameter of the first edge matches approximately to that ofthe housing distal end. The curved plane then extends inwards within thehousing from this first edge at an acute angle to a second edge that islocated about centrally within the housing. The angle can vary from morethan 0 to less than 90 degrees in different embodiments, such that thediameter of the conical surface gradually decreases from the first edgeto the second edge. A shallower angle may improve particulateseparation, though the optimal angle depends on the particulate beingseparated. Some embodiments allow for the adjustment of the angle atwhich the conical surface protrudes within the housing.

The second edge, which is the innermost protruding edge of the conicalsurface, contains an opening at its center that serves as the clean airoutlet. The particulate outlet is an opening that is adjacent to thefirst edge or base of the conical surface. In some embodiments, theconical surface also provides a mount to which the impeller can becoupled.

When in operation, a motor causes the impeller to rotate. This rotationcreates negative pressure that pulls in the particulate-pervaded air orgas from the inlet into the housing. The rotation also creates aninitial accelerating force that throws the particulate-pervaded air orgas towards the housing's walls. The particulate-pervaded air or gasthen decelerates due to shearing forces from the housing walls and azone of increasingly high-pressure is formed by the collapsing volume.The particulates, because of their greater momentum, penetrate throughthe high-pressure zone. The particulates higher mass moment of inertiaallows them to move radially outward through the pressure gradients anddown along the sides of the conical surface until they are ejectedthrough one of the particulate outlets. The air or gas, having lessinertia, is deflected away from the high-pressure zone and a centripetalforce drives the air or gas back towards the center axis and behind theimpeller. This causes an increase in angular acceleration andfacilitates a final stage of centrifugal filtration as remainingparticulates are spun outward and the cleansed air or gas continuesthrough the clean air outlet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to achieve a better understanding of the nature of the presentinvention, a preferred embodiment for the centripetal air or gascleaning system and apparatus will now be described, by way of exampleonly, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 depicts the centripetal air or gas cleaning system and apparatusand its operation in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 presents a front perspective view of the system and apparatus.

FIG. 3 presents a cut-away front perspective view of the system andapparatus.

FIG. 4 presents a rear perspective view of the system and apparatus.

FIG. 5 presents a rear cut-away perspective view of the system andapparatus.

FIG. 6 presents rear and front views of the system and apparatus.

FIG. 7 presents side and bottom views of the system and apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous details, examples, andembodiments for the centripetal air or gas cleaning system and apparatusare set forth and described. It will be clear and apparent to oneskilled in the art that these systems and apparatuses are not limited tothe embodiments set forth and that the systems and apparatuses may bepracticed without some of the specific details and examples discussed.

Provided is a centripetal air or gas cleaning system and apparatus thatremoves particulates from air or gas. The particulates can include anysolid state matter that is intermixed with the air or gas resulting inan undesired contamination of the air or gas. Coal dust, saw dust, metaldust, dirt, and sand are some examples of particulates that the systemand apparatus is designed to remove from air or gas. The particulatescan additionally or alternatively include liquids suspended in the airor gas.

FIG. 1 depicts the centripetal air or gas cleaning system and apparatusand its operation in accordance with some embodiments. The system andapparatus includes (1) inlet 110, (2) housing 120, (3) impeller 150, (4)particulate outlet 160, and (5) clean air outlet 170. The size of thesevarious components 110, 120, 150, 160, and 170 will vary depending onthe application of the apparatus.

Additional views of the apparatus as well as its components arepresented in FIGS. 2-6. Specifically, FIG. 2 presents a frontperspective view of the system and apparatus; FIG. 3 presents a cut-awayfront perspective view of the system and apparatus; FIG. 4 presents arear perspective view of the system and apparatus; FIG. 5 presents arear cut-away perspective view of the system and apparatus; FIG. 6presents rear and front views of the system and apparatus; and FIG. 7presents side and bottom views of the system and apparatus.

As shown from the various figures, the inlet 110 is an opening throughwhich the apparatus intakes particulate-pervaded air or gas into thehousing 120. The inlet 110 can be conical, circular, or any otherregular or irregular shape. The various shapes of the inlet 110 allow itto couple to standard and non-standard ducts of varying sizes and thusfunnel particulate-pervaded air or gas from different machines into thehousing 120. The inlet 110 can be left exposed in order to intake air orgas from the surrounding environment. The inlet 110 can be constructedof any rigid or supported material such as steel, aluminum, sheet metal,plastic, etc. The diameter of the inlet 110 varies depending on theapplication of the apparatus. Accordingly, the inlet 110 can have adiameter less than an inch for cleaning small volumes of air or gas tofar larger diameters for cleaning large volumes of air or gas. In someembodiments, the inlet 110 is an opening at the proximal end 130 of thehousing 120. In some other embodiments, the housing proximal end 130includes a ring that curves into the inlet 110 in order to join the two.

The housing 120 may be one unitary structure or separate structures thatare affixed to one another. The structure(s) can be composed of steel,aluminum, sheet metal, plastic, or other rigid or supported materials.In preferred embodiments, the housing 120 is conical with the angle ofthe conical extension varying depending on the embodiment. In one suchembodiment, the housing 120 extends from the proximal end 130 to thedistal end 140 at an angle that mimics the contour of the front face ofthe impeller 150. In some other embodiments, the housing 120 may includea front section and a different shaped rear section. For example, thefront and rear sections may be conical albeit with different angles ofextensions. As another example, the front section may be conical and therear section may be cylindrical. The specific dimensions and othercharacteristics of the housing 120 are determined based on theapplication of the apparatus. For large scale applications where alarger quantity of air or gas is to be cleaned, the housing 120 andother components of the apparatus will be larger. Conversely, for smallscale applications where a smaller quantity of air or gas is to becleaned, the housing 120 and other components of the apparatus will besmaller.

The housing 120 provides a radially collapsing volume that increasespressure for air or gas circulating therein. The radially collapsingvolume is produced in part by a conical surface 180 that juts inwardfrom the distal end 140 of the housing 120. The conical surface 180 isbest viewed from the rear perspective view of FIG. 4 and rear cut-awayperspective view of FIG. 5.

As illustrated, the conical surface 180 has a first edge that formswithin the distal end 140 of the housing 120, wherein the diameter ofthe first edge matches approximately to that of the housing 120 distalend 140. A curved plane then extends inwards within the housing fromthis first edge at an acute angle to a second edge that is located aboutcentrally within the housing. The angle can vary from more than 0 toless than 90 degrees in different embodiments, such that the diameter ofthe conical surface gradually decreases from the first edge to thesecond edge. A shallower angle may improve particulate separation,though the optimal angle depends on the particulate being separated.Some embodiments allow for the adjustment of the angle at which theconical surface 180 protrudes from the distal end 140 of the housing120. Alternatively, different embodiments may each provide a differentthe angle at which the conical surface 180 protrudes within the housing120.

The second edge, which is the innermost protruding edge of the conicalsurface 180, also contains an opening at its center. This opening is theclean air outlet 170 or is at least aligned with the clean air outlet170. In some embodiments, the clean air outlet 170 is inline or parallelwith the inlet 110. Some embodiments provide various attachments orrings to attach to the clean air outlet 170. These attachments can beused to customize the design to specific environments and applications.These attachments can also be used to directly feed the resultingcleaned air or gas into another machine or ductwork. It should beapparent that the apparatus may stand alone such that it is notconnected to another device. Rather, the apparatus receives air or gasdirectly from the environment or feeds the cleaned air or gas into theenvironment.

In some embodiments, the conical surface 180 provides a mount for theimpeller 150. The mount is best viewed from FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. As shown,the mount is comprised of a set of supports 410 that are affixed aboutthe protruding second edge of the conical surface 180. Each support ofthe set of supports 410 may be a metallic bracket or other rigidstructure. The set of supports 410 can be affixed along thecircumference of the conical surface 180 protruding second edge orattached along the circumference in some similar fashion. The set ofsupports 410 are joined together by a circular ring 420. The circularring 420 is the base over which the impeller 150 mounts. The impeller150 may be mounted using a nut and bolt assembly. However, it should beapparent that other assemblies may be used to couple the impeller 150 tothe mount. This mount provides a central position within the housing 120without obscuring the clean air outlet 170 and without restricting flowby any significant quantity.

The housing 120 also contains the particulate outlet 160. Theparticulate outlet 160 is the opening through which the particulatesthat are separated from the air or gas are ejected from the apparatus.The particulate outlet 160 is located along the housing 120 distal end140 adjacent to the base of the conical surface 180. In someembodiments, the particulate outlet 160 is optionally connected to ahose or tube that leads the particulates to a desired receptacle or somedistance away from the apparatus. Some embodiments provide multipleparticulate outlets adjacent to the base of the conical surface 180.

The impeller 150 is disposed within the housing 120 by coupling it tothe mount found on the conical surface 180. This disposes the impeller150 about centrally within the housing 120 and about parallel with theinlet 110 and the clean air outlet 170. A distance separates theimpeller 150 from the clean air outlet 170 and provides the necessaryvolume for the centripetal forces described below. The impeller 150 maybe a centrifugal fan or a mixed-flow impeller and may be backwardlyinclined. Generally however, the impeller 150 is a rotor with a set ofrotating blades. In some embodiments, the impeller 150 includes anintegral motor such that all of its components are housed within housing120. In some other embodiments, the motor for the impeller 150 isoutside the housing 120. The size and dimensions of the impeller 150 canchange depending on the application of the apparatus and the size of thehousing 120. For each such application, dimensional analysis andcomputational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations can be used to determinethe optimal impeller 150 and housing 120 size. In some embodiments,multiple impellers may be mounted in parallel within the housing 120.

When in operation, the impeller 150 rotates. This rotation createsnegative pressure that pulls in the particulate-pervaded air or gas fromthe inlet 110 into the housing 120. The inlet 110 can be exposed todirectly intake air or gas from the surrounding environment or can becoupled via ducting to another machine that ejects theparticulate-pervaded air or gas. The impeller 150 rotation also createsan initial accelerating force within the housing 120 that throws thedrawn in particulate-pervaded air or gas towards the housing's 120 wallsbefore the particular-pervaded air or gas can reach the distal end ofthe housing 120. The particulate-pervaded air or gas then deceleratesdue to shearing forces from the walls. As a result, a high-pressure zoneforms along the base of the conical surface 180 in the collapsing volumebehind where the particulate-pervaded air or gas contacts the housing'swalls. A close-up conceptual view of the high-pressure zone is shown inFIG. 1 with reference to marker 190. The particulates, because of theirgreater momentum, penetrate through the high-pressure zone, therebyseparating from the air or gas, which because of lesser inertia, isunable to penetrate through the high-pressure zone. The higher massmoment of inertia causes the particulates to move radially outwardthrough the pressure gradients and down along the sides of the conicalsurface 180 until they are ejected through one of the particulateoutlets 160. The air or gas, having less inertia, is deflected away fromthe high-pressure zone. A centripetal force then drives the particulatefree air or gas behind the impeller 150 and towards the center axis. Theconical surface 180 insures a smooth airflow within the housing 120,such that turbulence is minimized and air flow is not obstructed orotherwise reduced. The conical surface 180 also reduces the volume intowhich the cleansed air or gas is drawn as a result of centripetal force.This reduction in volume increases the angular acceleration for thecleansed air or gas and facilitates a final stage of centrifugalfiltration. This final stage of filtration is aided by the impeller 150.In some embodiments, the impeller has a rear flat face. Therefore, asthe air or gas amasses behind impeller from the housing 120 walls, theair or gas is subjected to a final spin before it is ejected through theclean air outlet 170. In so doing, remaining particles in the cleansedair or gas are thrown back away from the clean air outlet 170 forejection through the particulate outlet 160.

In some embodiments, the addition of one or more channels within housing120 can expedite the rejection of the particles, causing less angularrotation, and allowing the air to flow more efficiently towards theexit. An example of the channel can be seen with reference to marker 310in FIG. 3. The channeling provides a discrete barrier that isolatesparticulates that have concentrated along the housing wall from theclean air or gas being ejected through the clean air or gas outlet.

Advantages of the disclosed apparatus over other air or gas cleaning orfiltration systems of the prior art stem from the design and geometrydescribed above. This design allows the apparatus to maintain airpressure and airflow that is more similar to ordinary, non-filtering,in-line, and enclosed ventilation fans. In other words, this system andapparatus does not suffer from as significant a drop in flow rate as doother air filtration systems. Additionally, the configuration can bemodified to include additional methods of filtration to the rear of theimpeller 150, such as a paddlewheel or a filter media that wouldself-clean as dirt would be spun out of it. Moreover, the design lendsitself to moving larger quantities of air or gas without losingfiltration efficiency. The design also allows for high pressurizationsat the clean air outlet 170, whereas designs of the prior art cater moretowards being a source for clean air to be drawn through by additionalair moving devices.

We claim:
 1. An air or gas cleaning apparatus comprising: an inletproviding an intake for particulate-pervaded air or gas; an externalhousing comprising walls extending conically at a first angle from aproximal end of a first diameter to a distal end of a second diametergreater than the first diameter, wherein the external housing proximalend is coupled to the inlet, and wherein the external housing distal endcomprises an aperture and at least one channel extending along theinterior of the external housing; an inner conical surface comprising adistal end of the second diameter coupled to the external housing distalend and walls extending at a second angle less than or equal to thefirst angle from the distal end less than midway within the interior ofthe external housing to a proximal end, wherein the inner conicalsurface proximal end comprises an impeller mount and an aperture alignedover the external housing distal end aperture providing a clean air orgas outlet; a collapsible volume towards the distal end of the externalhousing interior, wherein the collapsible volume is a narrowing volumeformed based on a difference of the first angle and the second angle atwhich the inner conical surface walls extend from the external housingdistal end relative to the external housing walls; a powered impellercoupled to the inner conical surface impeller mount and disposed withinthe external housing, wherein the powered impeller comprises a motorpowering rotation of the powered impeller about an axis, wherein saidrotation induces suction of the particulate-pervaded air or gas throughthe inlet, accelerates the particulate-pervaded air or gas within theexternal housing, and creates forces within the external housing, saidforces comprising a centrifugal force separating particulates from theparticulate-pervaded air or gas by moving the particulate-pervaded airor gas radially outward to the collapsing volume in between the externalhousing walls and the inner conical surface walls with the channelproviding a baffle trapping and isolating the particulates from cleanedair or gas and with the cleaned air or gas pushed through to the cleanair or gas outlet; and a particulate outlet providing an aperture alongthe external housing walls at an end of said collapsing volume, whereinsaid forces and air or gas flow resulting from said forces further movethe particulates through the collapsing volume and out the particularoutlet aperture.
 2. The air or gas cleaning apparatus of claim 1,wherein the rotation of the powered impeller induces forces within theexternal housing ejecting the particulates out the particulate outletand ejecting clean air or gas out the clean air or gas outlet.
 3. Theair or gas cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the powered impellercomprises a rear flat face inducing a final spin of the air or gas whenin operation such that any remaining particles are thrown back forejection through the particulate outlet.
 4. The air or gas cleaningapparatus of claim 1, said baffle trapping said particulates from theparticulate-pervaded air or gas accelerated within the external housingby the powered impeller.
 5. The air or gas cleaning apparatus of claim1, wherein the impeller mount comprises a set of supports extending overthe inner conical surface aperture, said impeller mount disposing thepowered impeller about centrally within the external housing.
 6. The airor gas cleaning apparatus of claim 5, wherein the impeller mountdisposes the powered impeller about parallel with the inlet and theclear air or gas outlet.
 7. The air or gas cleaning apparatus of claim1, wherein the rotation of the powered impeller induces said suction bycreating negative pressure drawing in the particulate-pervaded air orgas from the inlet.
 8. The air or gas cleaning apparatus of claim 7,wherein the rotation of the powered impeller accelerates theparticulate-pervaded air or gas towards the external housing wallscreating a high-pressure zone within the collapsing volume.
 9. The airor gas cleaning apparatus of claim 8, wherein the particulates penetratethrough the high-pressure zone for ejection through the particulateoutlet due to the particulates greater momentum relative to the air orgas, whereas most of the air or gas cannot pass through thehigh-pressure zone and is driven to a center of the external housing bya centripetal force for ejection through the clean air or gas outlet.10. An apparatus for removing particulates from particulate-pervaded airor gas, the apparatus comprising: an enclosed external housingcomprising (i) a proximal end with a first opening providing an inletfor the particulate-pervaded air or gas, (ii) walls enclosing a volumebetween the proximal end and a distal end of the enclosed externalhousing, (iii) a second opening at the enclosed external housing distalend, (iv) a particulate outlet providing a third opening towards thedistal end along the exterior of the enclosed external housing walls,and (v) at least one channel extending along the interior of theexternal housing; an inner conical surface within the enclosed externalhousing, the inner conical surface comprising a base coupled to theenclosed external housing distal end and walls extending from the baseless than midway within the interior of the enclosed external housing toan innermost edge at an acute angle less than an angle at which theenclosed external housing walls extend from the distal end to theproximal end, wherein a collapsing volume forms towards the distal endof the enclosed external housing interior in between the inner conicalsurface walls and the enclosed external housing walls based on adifference between angles at which the inner conical surface wallsextend from the enclosed external housing distal end relative to theenclosed external housing walls, wherein the innermost edge comprises afourth opening aligned over the second opening and providing a clean airor gas outlet, and wherein the innermost edge has a circumference lessthan a circumference of the base; and a powered rotating rotorcomprising a motor and a plurality of blades disposed within theenclosed external housing, wherein the motor powers rotation of theplurality of blades with said rotation inducing suction at the inlet andgenerating a force within the enclosed housing, the force comprising acentrifugal force moving the particulate-pervaded air or gas radiallyoutward with said channel providing a baffle separating particulatesfrom the particulate-pervaded air or gas into the collapsing volume andout the particulate outlet while clean air or gas reflects within theenclosed external housing and ejects out the clean air or gas outlet.11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a rotor mount coupledover the innermost edge, said rotor mount holding the powered rotatingrotor within the enclosed external housing.
 12. The apparatus of claim10, wherein the particulates comprise at least one of coal dust, sawdust, metal dust, dirt, sand, and liquid suspended in the air or gas.13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the motor is disposed within theenclosed housing.
 14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the enclosedexternal housing is at least one of cylindrical and conical in shape.15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the motor is disposed outside theenclosed housing.
 16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the poweredrotating rotor is disposed between the inlet and the clean air or gasoutlet.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the plurality of bladeshaving a radius greater than a radius of the inlet and the clean air orgas outlet.